The War Eagles of Patrol Squadron SIXTEEN were commissioned in 1946, initially flying the amphibious PBY "Catalina." In the early 60's they transitioned to the highly sophisticated and versatile P-3 ORION. Today, the 400 person squadron is comprised of nine P-3C Update III aircraft and 12 Combat Aircrews with a crew compliment of three Pilots, a Tactical Officer, a Navigator/ Communicator, two Flight Engineers, two Acoustic Operators, one Non-Acoustic Operator, and an In-flight Technician. Squadron manning includes an exceptionally talented group of 75 officers and 325 enlisted personnel. The War Eagles were the first Navy combat squadron to integrate female aviators into combat aircrews.
A dynamic cadre of administrative specialists support the squadron's worldwide operations. Yeomen, Career Counselors, Personnel men and Information Systems Technicians are among those whose numerous and substantive responsibilities are instrumental to the squadron's readiness and mission effectiveness.
Essential to unit operations, over 163 "Maintainers" keep aircraft running at peak performance. These remarkably trained and highly industrious professional include Aviation Electricians, Aviation Storekeepers, Aviation Administration men, Jet Engine Mechanics, Metal smiths, Ordnance men, Parachute Riggers and Electrical Technicians. They maximize aircraft availability and material condition through peerless ingenuity, technical expertise and quite simply, a lot of hard work. Once again, The War Eagles set the standard in aviation safety, surpassing 36 years and 245,000 hours of class "A" mishap-free flight operations.
The P-3C is recognized throughout the world as the premier Under-Sea Warfare (USW) platform. The P-3C is unequaled in its ability to locate, track and if required, attack hostile submarines beneath the waves. The War Eagles and other Maritime Patrol Squadrons have successfully demonstrated their preeminent USW capabilities in every ocean of the world. The ORION is capable of delivering a host of weapons, to include MK-46 and MK-50 torpedoes, Harpoon and Maverick missiles, the Standoff Land Attack Missile, Rockeyes, and Mark 80 series bombs. The aircraft's multi-mission flexibility also includes pinpoint mine laying capability in harbors and shipping lanes. The multi-purpose P-3C offers the operational commander a potent weapons platform for worldwide employment with rapid response time. Similarly, the squadron has fully exploited the P-3C's exceptional command and control capabilities for "special operation missions" involving exercise insertions of Navy SEALS and other special forces.
The success of these operations is made possible by the array of sophisticated communications, navigation, detection and monitoring systems installed on the P-3C platform. Non-acoustic detection systems include the APS-115 radar, Infrared Detection System (IRDS), Magnetic Anomaly Detector (MAD), and ALR-66 Electric Support Measures (ESM) equipment. One of the most dramatic improvements for the P-3 has been the incorporation of the Anti-Surface Warfare Improvement Program (AIP). Some of the improvements include: The Inverse Synthetic Aperture Radar (ISAR), a long range image radar that allows the P-3 to rapidly decipher the classification of forces at long range; Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), a technical offshoot of ISAR which provides a map image of selected targets; A sophisticated long-range electro-optical system recently used to extensively observe ground force movements over Bosnia and Kosovo using Pioneer Video and Photo-Telesis; and a communication suite that fuses and relays data to remote, simultaneous users by multiple satellite connectivity paths. Not only has AIP supported Surface Warfare, it has provided critical data to the Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) mission which is fully engaged in support of Operations DETERMINED FORGE, DELIBERATE FORGE and JOINT GUARDIAN over and near the Former Republic of Yugoslavia. Whether it be direct support to the Battle Group or shore commands, coupled with its variety of weaponry, the P-3 is firmly in place as an extension of the eyes, ears, and arm of the Battle Field Commander.
The War Eagles are based out of Jacksonville, Florida.